Tube Heaters
Tube heaters are a type of infrared heater, which are heaters that use infrared energy for heating. Infrared energy is derived from infrared heat waves, which are long electromagnetic waves that are found nearly on the visible part of this spectrum. In the case of tube heaters, this infrared energy is directed using a tube or cylinder. Tube heaters, also known as infrared heaters or heat lamps, are very powerful and highly energy efficient. For this reason, they are typically categorized as a green heating option. In addition, they do not burn fuels and thus do not emit harmful emissions. This also makes them safer to use and be around, furthers their status as green heaters. Tube heaters have many, many applications in a variety of worlds. These applications include the drying of coatings, glass processing, plastic welding, the easing of arthritic pain, the incubation or comfort heating of animals in veterinary clinics or zoos, providing warmth as a space heater, and providing warmth as a room heater.
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Advantages of Tube Heaters
Tube heaters offer many advantages to their customers, some widespread and others application-specific. For example, not only do tube heaters work efficiently, but they also provide the heat desired immediately. There is no wait because they do not require convection and therefore do not experience the traditional delay between when a heater is turned on and when the heat can begin to be felt. Another problem that convection heaters experience that tube heaters do not is the problem of pockets of cold and hot air. Convection heaters experience this because of the way that the air inside them is moved around as they heat up. In contrast, infrared heat is absorbed directly, leaving the air molecules undisturbed and thus allowing for a uniform heating pattern. A tube heater will serve you well, whether your application is in cooking, curing, glass heat treating, metal heating treating, plastic welding, plastic shrinking, plastic pre-heating, heating, animal care, or something else. When operating your tube heaters, you must observe common safety precautions. Most notably, do not touch the hot bulb or element with your bare hands, as it will cause burns. Also, suppose your skin is exposed to high intensity short wave infrared radiation for too long, or the heater is positioned too close. In that case, you may experience indirect thermal burns.
Tube Heater Design
A tube heater, also known as an electric infrared heater, comprises a few key items. These include a heating element, a reflective surface, and a protective shield that disallows direct contact with the source of heat. Heating elements are those components that convert electricity into heat using the process of resistive heating. Heating elements used in tube heaters are usually made from tungsten wire, but they may be made from other alloys, particularly iron alloys, carbon, aluminum, or chromium. In order to create more surface area and make the electrical resistance needed to make heat, the wire heating elements are coiled. To create the aforementioned reflective and protective surface, the heating elements are surrounded by a tube made of a highly conductive material, like quartz. Additional features with which tube heaters may be equipped include corrosion resistant materials, timing-temperature controls, overheating protection, and cooling options for cryogenic purposes.
Heat Sources for Tube Heaters
The goal of the heating element is to maximize the infrared energy that the tube heater is releasing. To advance the success of this goal, it is best that the exterior of the tube also is made of the radiant emissive material. Radiant heat, which is a type of thermal radiation, is the most impactful heat source because it can travel to and be absorbed by surfaces and objects without the help of another medium, such as air molecules. This is not the case with many other heat sources. The infrared heat emitted by tube heaters can, for example, saturate liquids, solids, and gasses with more ease and more thoroughly than a regular convection heater. They can also penetrate them more efficiently than UV lamps, requiring light waves to heat objects. To diversify the applications they can serve, tube heaters may use both radiant heat and electricity. A heater like this, which is a radiant gas heater, uses heat sources including propane flame and natural gas. Both heat sources (and others) increase the heater's radiance, thus allowing the tube to be heated uniformly. Note, however, that while tube heaters can effectively and efficiently heat spaces, they cannot sustainably fight a cold draught.